Katja Ester

Katja Ester serves as Senior Research Associate at Ruđer Bošković Institute's Division of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory of Experimental Therapy in Zagreb, Croatia, and concurrently holds a Biology Professor position at ALU Zagreb.

Her academic qualifications include:

• B.Sc. in Molecular Biology from University of Zagreb (1992-1998)
• Ph.D. in Biology from University of Zagreb Graduate School (2000-2006)

Dr. Ester's research centers on molecular oncology with emphasis on antitumor compound mechanisms. Her work explores crown ethers, quinone methides, and viral proteins (particularly apoptin) to disrupt cancer cell membranes, ion homeostasis, and mitochondrial functions. She investigates multidrug resistance reversal in breast cancer models, with special focus on cancer stem cells and bioelectrical properties. Current projects integrate machine learning for antimalarial/anticancer drug design while examining TLR-mediated immunomodulation.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals consistent investigation of membrane-targeting therapeutics, with growing integration of computational methods and immunological approaches. Her work spans cancer pharmacology, molecular biophysics, and virology, maintaining strong translational focus on overcoming treatment resistance.

Her scientific achievements include:

• Best Poster Award at Third Croatian Congress of Pharmacology (2001)
• FEMS award for Workshop on Marek's disease pathogenesis (2002)

Dr. Ester actively mentors graduate students in cancer biology research, supervising theses on apoptin mechanisms, crown ether effects, and breast cancer stem cell models. She participates in COST actions and EACR networks, securing collaborative funding for projects targeting P-glycoprotein-mediated resistance and ion channel modulation in tumors.

Within the Laboratory of Experimental Therapy, she leads research on bioelectrical properties of cancer cells, investigating membrane potential dynamics and ion flux alterations in epithelial-mesenchymal transition models, with particular emphasis on triple-negative breast cancer pathophysiology.